Page 6 of Kiss Marry Kill

“Absolutely.” Royce followed River to the door while I lingered in the living room.

Once River was gone, Royce returned to me, glancing at his watch. “Unfortunately, I need to get back to the station.”

I scowled. “The little weasel used up all of our time together.”

His lips curved in a tolerant smile. “I’ll make it up to you tonight.”

I sighed and tried to shake off my irritable mood. “Thank you for bringing lunch home today.”

“My pleasure, Max.”

I added quietly, “Being around you helped a lot.”

“You sure about that? You still look wound up tight as a bale of hay.”

Shrugging, I said, “Perhaps that’s true, but it’s fortunate you were here when River arrived.” I gave a glare toward the door, even though River was long gone. “I don’t trust that man as far as I can throw him.”

Royce nodded and moved closer. “Me neither.” He bent down to kiss me, and his mouth was gentle yet insistent. When the kiss ended, he said softly, “See ya tonight, Max.”

Feeling a little flustered from the kiss, I gave a nervous laugh. “Uh, right. See you later.”

He left the house, and I cleaned up the clutter from lunch. I didn’t look forward to running into River later, but the comforting warmth of Royce’s mouth still lingered on my lips. River was definitely a thorn in my side, but I wasn’t going to let him steal my joy.

Chapter Two

Royce

I wasn’t sure what to make of River. Like Maxwell, I found his purchase of that property shady. Not telling Maxwell what he was up to made no sense to me. However, he had rushed over to pacify Maxwell, knowing he might be upset by that letter. If he was trying to pull one over on Maxwell, would he have bothered to do that?

Since it was a slow day at work, I decided to take a little walk around town. I liked to do that at least once a week. It was good public relations to chat with citizens and remind them that I wasn’t just a cop but that I was a person too.

It was a chilly December afternoon. The shops still had Christmas decorations in the windows, and lights were still strung through the trees that lined the road. New Year’s was right around the corner, and the city didn’t usually take down all the decorations until after the New Year.

I ran into the usual familiar faces as I strode leisurely down the sidewalk. Most people were still happy and relaxed from their Christmas holiday. It would take a few months for that residual cheer to wear off. For now, everyone seemed downright pleasant.

Even though I already had a dog, I still liked to go in the Pretty Paws Pet Shop occasionally, just to see the other animals. I played with the kittens for a few minutes and chatted with the young girl who worked there. She asked about Grumpy, and I asked her about school.

As I was exiting the shop, Mrs. Numi was coming out of a nail salon next door. She smiled when she saw me, and I decided maybe I could talk to her and get a few more details about River’s purchase of the property.

“Hello, Mrs. Numi.” I tipped my hat to her.

“Sheriff, well, isn’t this a lovely surprise.” She blew on her freshly painted pink nails. “Oh, boo. My nails are still tacky.”

“That’s a mighty pretty color.”

She smiled. “You like it? It’s called Pillow Talk. Isn’t that a fun name?”

“It sure is.”

Her gaze sharpened. “Mayor Granger was in there getting her nails done too. She told me all about what happened at Giggly Elves Farm. Good Lord, you all must have been so scared.”

“Well, I wasn’t scared so much as concerned.” I grimaced. “I kind of felt like keeping everyone safe was all on me.”

“Of course you did, you poor thing.” She touched my arm and then immediately checked to be sure she hadn’t smudged her nails.

I hesitated. “I was wondering if you might fill me in on something.”

She nodded, looking distracted. “Happy to help.”